


The Golden Hibiscus

by Fledgling



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Florist Ace, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 15:36:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15777000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fledgling/pseuds/Fledgling
Summary: “Marco hardly noticed when the empty shop he passed on his way to work every day became a hair salon. Or when it became a boutique. Or when it became an antique shop. They were all places he had no interest in, and if not for the fact that he passed it so often he wouldn’t have known they existed at all.He did, however, notice when it became a flower shop.It might have been because there were flowers set up outside the door, covering part of the sidewalk. It might have been because there was a bright orange banner that read GRAND OPENING hanging across the door. Or it might have been because when he walked pass it, a few days after the banner had been taken down, he finally saw the person who owned the shop.”





	The Golden Hibiscus

**Author's Note:**

> Oof, this took me forever. I might go back and add more to this later (mainly just about the Teach thing), but for now I’m calling it done!

Marco hardly noticed when the empty shop he passed on his way to work every day became a hair salon. Or when it became a boutique. Or when it became an antique shop. They were all places he had no interest in, and if not for the fact that he passed it so often he wouldn’t have known they existed at all.

He did, however, notice when it became a flower shop.

It might have been because there were flowers set up outside the door, covering part of the sidewalk. It might have been because there was a bright orange banner that read GRAND OPENING hanging across the door. Or it might have been because when he walked pass it, a few days after the banner had been taken down, he finally saw the person who owned the shop.

The man was watering the plants that sat outside, a soft smile on his freckled face. He wore simple black shorts and boots, and a yellow shirt with half the buttons undone. A bright orange hat hung against his back as well.

The man looked up, his smile widening as he saw Marco standing there and damn if it wasn’t a lovely smile.

“Hi! Is there something I can help you with?”

Marco jumped a little bit, hoping it wasn’t obvious that he had been staring. He grinned, stepping closer to the stranger.

“I haven’t seen you before. I suppose this is your shop?”

The man nodded, setting the watering can down and brushing his hands against his shorts. “Yup, its all mine.” The pride was obvious on his face as he held out a hand. “I’m Ace.”

Marco took the hand, letting his smile grow. “Marco.”

Ace started to say something else, but was interrupted by the sharp ring of a phone. Marco groaned, reaching into the pocket of his pants and pulling his phone out to glare at it. He read over the massive text quickly, holding back an annoyed sigh. Sometimes it felt like he was the only thing holding The Whitebeard Company together.

“Is everything ok?” Ace asked, looking genuinely concerned.

“It’s just work. I’m,” Marco paused, thinking of the best way to phrase it, “I’m basically my boss’s second in command.”

Ace nodded, “Sounds important.”

“More like annoying.”

Ace grinned, and held up one finger. “Wait here a second, will you?”

Marco watched him dash into the shop itself, curious as to what he was doing. He took the time to answer Izo’s text, making sure to tell him that no, he wasn’t allowed to beat anyone with his heels. He hit the send button as Ace came back out, holding a vase filled with flowers. He held it out to Marco, smiling widely.

“They’re called shell flowers,” Ace said. “They’re supposed to bring good luck, and it seems like you might need it.”

“Oh.” Marco looked closer at the flowers, taking the vase gently. They were rather tall, with tiny white blooms surrounded by green cups. It wasn’t your typical flower arrangement, but he couldn’t help but like it all the same. “I don’t suppose you have any flowers to help me not kill my brothers?”

Ace laughed, and Marco felt his heart jump at the lovely sound. He put his phone in his pocket, reaching into the other one for his wallet.

“How much do I owe you for these?”

Ace smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Consider it a gift.”

“A gift?”

Ace’s smile turn sheepish. “Well, to be honest, you’re the first person to really talk to me since I moved here. Anyway, I’d better not keep you here talking to you. Seems like you’ve got things to do.”

Marco wanted to protest—he wanted to stay and talk to the lovely florist—but he knew he was right. As if to prove Ace’s point, his phone went off again, then twice more in quick succession. He groaned, shaking his head. Ace chuckled, turning back to flowers he had been watering. Marco hesitated for just a moment, taking one last look at the building before walking down the street.

He had a feeling he would be stopping by The Golden Hibiscus a lot more often then he had visited any of the other stores that had been in that spot.

  
Thankfully, the office building that housed The Whitebeard Company was not on fire when he got there. At least, not on the outside. Inside, however, was as much of a mess as he expected it to be.

Izo was waiting for him in the lobby, typing on his phone at a speed that was impossible to match. He looked up as Marco walked in, glancing at the flowers and raising an eyebrow.

“I didn’t know you liked flowers.”

Marco looked at them and shrugged. “They were a gift. Apparently they’re supposed to bring good luck.”

Izo laughed without humor, walking to the elevator and hitting the up button. “Let’s hope they work, it’s going to be one of _those_ days.” The elevator doors opened, and Marco waited for the doors to close and the elevator to start rising before he spoke.

“It’s Teach, isn’t it?”

“The damn snake,” Izo hissed, “is bound and determined to ruin everything Pops has done!”

Marco scowled at his reflection in the elevator doors. Teach had once worked for them, had worked for them for years in fact, only to run off one day with a massive amount of company information and a message that he was going to bring them to ruin. All of his attempts to do so had so far been thwarted, but he was getting more reckless—more desperate—as time went on.

“Shanks is coming by later,” Izo continued after a moment, “apparently Teach has made a move on him as well.”

That took Marco by surprise. Shanks was the owner and boss of Red Investment Company, and while most of the time he was laid back, when it came down to business he was someone to be respected, if not feared.

“What the hell is Teach after?”

Izo shrugged as the elevator stopped at the top floor. It was barely controlled chaos, though the talking and moving stopped for a second as everyone turned to see who was walking out of the elevator. Upon seeing Marco and Izo, some of the tension immediately seemed to leave the room as everyone went back to what they were doing.

“Pops is in his office.” Izo said and made his way into the throng of coworkers, stopping to speak to Rakuyo briefly.

Marco made his way to his own office, setting the vase of flowers in the windowsill and staring at them for a moment. He realized, probably a little late, that he had no idea how to take care of them. It would have to wait though; right now, he had a job to do.

He knocked once on Whitebeard’s office door before entering, unsurprised to see him hunched over a pile of papers. He looked up as Marco shut the door behind him, waving him over with and picking up one of the papers from the pile.

“What do ya make of this, son?”

  
It was well past midnight when Marco left, the streets dark and nearly silent. Fall was around the corner, and the temperature drop at night proved it. He had debated just sleeping in his office, having put a couch in there for just that purpose, but decided against it (also Jozu had threatened to literally drag him down the road to his apartment).

He passed The Golden Hibiscus, pausing for a moment to stare at the sign before continuing on. Ace had been on his mind for a good portion of the day, especially every time he happened to look out the window (something he did every time he had to stop and think about something) and see the flowers sitting on the sill.

A part of him wondered what it was about the other that made him so intriguing, while the other part happily indulged in remembering the way he laughed.

His home was dark and quiet when he entered it and maybe that was why he seemed so immediately taken with the florist. When was the last time he had company other than his brothers? He couldn’t remember, and while it usually didn’t bother him, happy to drown himself in work, moments like now when he was alone in the dark and too tired to block out the thoughts the loneliness seemed to swallow him whole.

He showered and fell into bed without remembering either event, and woke up the next morning feeling as if he hadn’t slept nearly enough. He checked his phone as he ate, thankful that there wasn’t a mountain of emails and texts. What he did have waiting for him was mostly good news, and he left his apartment feeling better than he had the past few mornings.

Ace was checking on the plants outside his shop again when Marco approached, though he stopped and waved at Marco when he saw him. The orange hat sat on top of his head, almost the same color as the flowers he was looking at.

“I guess yesterday must not’ve been too bad, if you’re going back.” Ace said, turning back to his flowers.

“Something like that. Maybe it was just your lucky flowers that helped me through it.”

Ace laughed, standing and turning to face Marco, “My lucky flowers, huh?”

“Of course. Although,” Marco grinned sheepishly, “I’m not really sure how to take care of plants, honestly. I’ve never kept any before.”

Ace looked surprised, though the look quickly faded. “Ah, I grew up gardening and taking care of plants, I guess I forget sometimes that not everyone else has. For shell flowers, you’ll want to give them lots of light so I’d sit them next to a window. Keep the water level about three-fourths of the way up the vase, and they should stay good for a couple of weeks.”

“A couple of weeks, huh? I guess I’ll just have to come back and get more then.”

Ace looked surprised again. “Really?”

“Of course, can’t have all my luck going away can I? Besides, I’ve been told I need to make my office look less like a prison cell.”

“Well you can’t help it if that’s what it is.” Ace’s eyes widened after he finished his sentence, and he quickly began talking again. “Not to say that office work is bad or anything, I’m sure that it’s lots of fun and totally interesting and—”

“Hey, I understand. It’s not for everyone,” Marco shrugged, glad when Ace relaxed. “I mean, I certainly couldn’t do this,” he continued, gesturing to the plants around them.

“It’s not that hard, just a bit time consuming.” Ace looked like he wanted to say more, a bright smile crossing his face, but it quickly faded. “You probably don’t want to hear about all that though. Besides, I’m probably making you late.”

Marco watched Ace fiddle with the edge of his hat, subtly pulling it over his eyes. He had the distinct feeling that someone hadn’t been very nice about Ace’s obvious love of plants in the past. Marco wanted to protest—he usually left early every day to make sure he had plenty of time to walk to work—but Ace was already walking back into his shop.

It was another two weeks of walking past the shop and talking to Ace every morning (and sometimes in the afternoon if he was off at a reasonable hour) that he decided he really needed to do something about the growing attraction he was feeling.

“Do you like pizza?” Marco asked one day.

Ace startled, blinking a few times. “Pizza? Of course, who doesn’t?”

Marco grinned, “I take a lunch at two everyday. Would you like to meet me and grab something to eat? There’s a place downtown called Bonney’s Pizzeria, they have the best pizza I’ve ever had.”

“Yeah, that would be—wait a minute. Are you… asking me on a date?”

“If I am, will you still say yes?”

Ace stared at him incredulously. “Why?”

Marco tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Why?”

“I mean, we’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks.”

Marco shrugged, “And? I like you, I’d like to get to know you.” Ace still looked at a loss, so Marco sighed. “Hey, it’s ok if you don’t want to. I’m not going to be—”

“I’d love to.”

Ace was smiling as if he’d won the lottery, and Marco felt his heart flip.

“Sorry, I just—no one’s ever really asked me out before.”

That immediately caught Marco’s attention. “What?”

Ace rubbed the back of his neck. “I know, it’s kinda pathetic isn’t it? Twenty three, never been on a date.”

“It’s criminal is what it is. Here,” Marco reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and opening his contacts, “give me your phone number, that way if something comes up and I’m going to be late I can let you know.”

Ace nodded, taking the offered phone and putting his number in. He handed it back to Marco, grinning.

“So, how do I get there anyway?”

  
Marco saw the bright orange hat from across the street, waiting for the light to change before crossing to join it. Ace smiled when he saw him, pulling at the edge of his shirt nervously.

“You didn’t wait long, did you?” Marco asked, holding the door open for the other.

“No, I just got here. I hadn’t realized how big this town was before,” Ace said, eagerly looking around the inside of the restaurant.

Marco nodded in understanding. Raftel was a fairly large city, growing more by the day. He was glad that The Whitebeard Company was stationed in a building on the outskirts of town, and not in the thick of it.

“Marco!”

Marco and Ace both turned at the voice, seeing a woman with pink hair and flour on her cheek grinning at them from behind the counter.

“Hey Bonney. How’s it been?”

Bonney stepped from behind the counter as they walked closer, punching Marco in the shoulder once she was in reach.

“Well you’d know if you came around more often. I haven’t seen you in almost a month! Sometimes I worry if you’re eating at all, or if you’re just living on coffee and frustration.”

Marco laughed, and one of his hands settled on Ace’s shoulder. “I would, but Thatch won’t let me. He makes sure I’m eating something. Anyway, this is Ace. Ace, this is Bonney.”

Bonney gave Ace a considering look, before smiling widely. “Got yourself a cutie here, Marco.”

Ace laughed nervously, but before anyone could say anything else a loud crash came from the back of the restaurant. Bonney groaned, marching behind the counter and through a swinging door.

“What the hell are you all doin’ back here?”

Marco chuckled, looking at Ace. “Bonney and I went to school together. She might seem a bit,” he paused to find the right word amidst more yelling from the back, “brash, but she’s nice.”

“She sounds like she’s about to beat someone with a pizza pan.”

“She might. Anyway, what kind of pizza do you like?”

Ace chuckled, looking at the menu boards on the wall behind the counter. “Hm, all of it really. What do you usually get?”

“I’ve tried everything she has except the Hawaiian.”

Ace sent him a lopsided grin. “Not a pineapple on pizza fan?”

“It’s an abomination.” After a moment he shrugged and added, “Also I just hate pineapple in general.”

Ace laughed, turning to the menu board once more as Bonney came back through the door.

“Sorry about that.” She said, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter. “What can I get ya?”

“A medium chicken alfredo,” Marco said and turned to Ace, “and you?”

“Um, a medium meat lover’s.”

“You got it boys! Take a seat, I’ll get it started for ya.”

Bonney handed them two large cups and disappeared into the back once more, and Marco led Ace to a table in the corner looking out into the street after they got their drinks from the machine.

“So why a flower shop?” Marco asked as they sat down.

“Um, well,” Ace looked off to the side, “because of my mother, really.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm.” Ace pushed his hat off as he turned to face him, letting it rest on his back. “She’s owned a flower shop since I was little, ever since I can remember really. She adores flowers. She has every kind you could imagine, and she knows about each one. I guess,” a sad, wistful look overcame his him, “I guess it just reminds me of her.”

Marco nodded slowly. “I didn’t mean to bring up any painful memories.”

Ace blinked and shook his head quickly. “Oh no, no its not like that! Damn I made that sound a lot worse than it should have huh?” he chuckled. “I’m just homesick really.”

Marco frowned, and without giving himself time to think reached over and gently covered one of Ace’s hands with his own. Ace startled and looked at him, giving him a small grin.

“Sorry, I’m not used to the whole going on a date thing.”

Marco shook his head. “That’s ok. I’m not used to being around people who I don’t work with.”

Ace’s smile grew. “Yeah, ok. So what exactly do you do? Like what company do you even work for?”

“I work for The Whitebeard Company. It’s not too far from your shop actually. I, uh,” he paused, trying to think of the best way to explain what he did, “I do a lot of paperwork. And a lot of keeping everyone else in line.”

“Seems pretty tough.”

Marco shrugged. “It can be sometimes, but it’s not too bad. Pops makes sure we’re all ok at the end of the day.”

“Pops?”

“My boss. He calls all of us his sons and daughters, so we call him Pops.”

Ace nodded in understanding. He had leaned forward while Marco was talking, his chin held up by his hand. “Sounds pretty nice. Why’s it called The Whitebeard Company though?”

“It’s an old nickname of Pops’. Apparently his hair started going white when he was in his twenties. So, what’s your mother like? You seem to miss her a lot.”

Ace smiled softly. “She’s—well, she’s amazing really. She’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and she’s really, really smart.” His smile sharpened, “And she beat up a group of like five guys once.”

Marco nearly choked on his drink. “She did what now?”

Ace laughed and nodded. “Yup. This was before I was born and I’ve never gotten the full story, but it’s definitely something my mom would do.”

Marco chuckled. “I think I’d like to meet your mother. She sounds like an interesting person.”

“We interrupt your regularly scheduled flirting to bring you two of the best damn pizzas you’ll ever have!”

Marco and Ace both jumped in their seats, causing Bonney to cackle. She set the pizzas before them, sending Marco a wink before going back into the kitchen. Ace eagerly took a slice from the pizza before him, biting into it.

“Good?” Marco asked, taking a slice from his own.

Ace nodded eagerly, “I’m totally gonna bring my brothers here when they come to visit.”

“Oh? How many do you have?”

“Just two. They’re not really my brothers, we’re not related or anything, but we’ve done everything together since we were little so we call ourselves brothers,” Ace chuckled. “It’s a little odd, I know.”

“Fourteen.”

“Hm?”

“I have fourteen unofficial siblings.”

“That’s a lot,” Ace finally said.

Marco grinned, taking another bite of pizza. “I work with all of them too. It’s not nearly as fun as it sounds.”

“So did you meet all of them at work or—?”

“Mhm. It’s those of us that have been with Pops since the beginning, when he was just starting his business.”

Ace nodded. “You all must be close.”

Marco shrugged. “They still make me want to beat my head into the wall most days.”

“Brothers do that,” Ace said fondly.

They continued to talk as they ate, an hour passing by far quicker than Marco would have liked. He sighed as he glanced at the clock on the wall, wondering if he could get away with another half hour.

“Time to go, huh?” Ace asked, following his line of sight.

“Unfortunately. You’re much better company than my desk, I assure you.”

Ace laughed. “You’re much better company than flowers too. You at least respond when I talk.”

“You talk to your plants?”

Ace shrugged and ducked his head, “I—yeah.”

“Hey, don’t be like that. I think it’s cute.”

Ace flushed and grinned. Marco could feel his heart thumping wildly around in his chest. He reached for his wallet, pulling out enough to cover the food and tip.

“Oh hey, here, let me—”

“No, I’ve got it.”

“But—”

“No buts. Besides,” Marco smiled, “I still owe you for the flowers, remember?”

“Fine, but I pay for the next one!” Ace countered, then paused as he realized what he had said. “I mean, if there is a next one.”

“I’d like there to be,” Marco said.

“Good. Me too.”

Marco smiled wider, offering his hand to Ace as he stood. Ace took it, his grip warm and strong.

“Have fun you two!” Bonney called from behind the counter as they left.

They walked down the street a bit before Ace spoke up, “So which one of these buildings do you work in?”

Marco looked around, but from where they were standing there was no view of The Whitebeard Company. “It’s more on the outskirts of town, where it’s less crowded.”

Ace nodded, “Sounds nice. I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of crowds.”

“Me either.”

They continued to walk in silence until they came to an intersection, waiting for the crosswalk indicator to change.

“I actually just go down this street, so…” Ace shifted, looking at the sidewalk.

“Right. Can’t leave your shop on its own too much longer, huh?”

The crosswalk changed, and the let go of each other’s hands.

“I’ll see you later then?” Ace asked.

“Definitely.”

Ace smiled, adjusting his hat and turning to go. Marco watched him for a moment before crossing the street himself, barely making it through before the light changed.

“So that’s where you went off to.”

Marco groaned, turning to look at Thatch. “What are you doing here?”

Thatch lifted the plastic bag he was carrying, waving it around. “Picking up something to eat. Suppose you did that too, eh?” He fell into step beside Marco. “When was the last time you actually took your lunch anyway? Or got something that wasn’t delivered?”

“Hey, at least I’m eating. I can go back to nothing but coffee if you’d rather.”

Thatch glared at him. “I’ll start force-feeding you pineapple I swear.”

Marco rolled his eyes, opening the door to their building and heading for the elevator. Thatch followed him, humming quietly as he peaked into the bag he was carrying.

“Seriously though, how’d it go?”

“It was…nice.”

“Nice as in you’ll never speak to each other again, or nice as in you’re going to think about him the rest of the day?”

“There’s going to be a second date.”

“Ooh,” Thatch said, wiggling his eyebrows in a ridiculous manner. “So what’s his name?”

“Ace.”

“What’s he like?”

The elevator door opened, and Marco stepped out, fully intending to make a beeline for his desk. He should have known better.

“Hey everyone! Marco just went on a _date_!”

Marco ran. He made it to his office, shutting and locking the door just as Haruta smacked into it. Everyone was immediately at his door, staring through the windows and bombarding him with questions. He pulled the blinds for the windows, sighing and fishing through his desk for his headphones and detangling them. He plugged them in as he sat down, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He had silenced it for the duration of his break—his date—and was unsurprised to see a small mass of texts and emails. At the top of the notifications list, there was one text from Ace. Marco opened it and grinned.

_‘Had a great time, hope you have a good day!’_

Marco could imagine him, fiddling with his phone, trying to think of what he wanted to say only to change his mind a moment later.

_‘I had fun. Have a good day yourself.’_

Marco set his phone to the side after he made sure it sent, pouring himself back into his work. After half an hour the group at his door was gone, everyone having their own duties to attend to. He barely heard the knock on his door over his music, and he peeked through the blinds before he unlocked the door.

“Pops? What do you need?”

Whitebeard looked around his office, and Marco followed, though everything looked in order.

“Usually if you’re barricading yourself like this, there’s mountains of papers in here. What’s the matter son?”

Marco shrugged, looking around the doorframe. The rest of the floor was mostly empty, many of them on finished for the day.

“Just needed some peace is all.”

“Ah, so Thatch wasn’t talking out of his ass earlier.”

Marco groaned over Whitebeard’s boisterous laughter.

“Do I want to know what he said?”

“Just that you’d gone on a date with someone he hadn’t ever seen before. Said he was cute though.” Whitebeard clapped Marco on the shoulder, smiling widely. “I know you like your privacy, but I guess I am curious as to who was able to get you out of here for once.”

“He’s a florist,” Marco said after a moment. “His name is Ace Portgas.”

“Oh? Is he the one that’s been supplying you with all the plants in your window?”

Marco spared a glance at his window. He had come to enjoy the little vase of shell flowers Ace had given him, and had purchased a couple of other plants to accompany it. Ace had recommended various succulents, which did well with lots of light and could forgive a forgetful waterer (which Marco was).

“Yeah, they’re all from him.”

Whitebeard smiled knowingly, patting Marco’s shoulder and turning and heading for the elevator.

“Don’t work yourself to death, son! Especially now that you have someone to take care of you.”

Marco scoffed, calling a goodbye to Whitebeard’s back and returning to his computer. He checked his phone, not seeing any texts from Ace (and several from his brothers that he ignored). He glanced at the time, debating if it was too late to send Ace a text, and eventually set his phone back down. Not everyone was a night owl like he was.

  
“Hey Marco!”

Marco waved at Ace, watching as he turned back to the person he had been talking to. The person, most likely a customer, was looking at the pot of flowers they held as if it was an alien species. After a while they nodded and walked away, and Ace came to stand beside Marco.

“Headed to work for the day?”

“As always,” Marco sighed.

Ace laughed, his hand bumping against Marco’s. He turned his own hand and caught Ace’s, tangling their fingers together. Ace’s smile grew, and he squeezed Marco’s hand gently.

“Do you want to come by and meet my brothers?”

Ace blinked, his smile falling a bit. “Like, at your job? Would that be okay?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Well, won’t they all be working?”

“No,” Marco deadpanned. “Not if I know them.”

“Um, okay,” Ace answered, still unsure. “Right now then?”

“No,” Marco said. He went in earlier than most everyone, save Pops and occasionally Jozu. “Maybe around one? Everyone should be there then.”

“Okay.” Ace perked back up, his smile returning in full. “Want me to bring you lunch? I tried this sandwich place the other day, it was super good!”

  
One o’clock came with surprising quickness, and Marco wouldn’t have even noticed if not for Ace texting him asking for directions. He met the florist in the lobby, smiling and taking the offered plastic bag.

“Any trouble getting here?” Marco asked as they stepped into the elevator.

“Nope!” Ace fiddled with his shirt, and Marco noticed that he had forgone his usual half-buttoned button-up and cargo shorts for a polo shirt and jeans. The ever present orange hat still sat against his shoulders though, and Marco made a mental note to ask Ace about it later.

“Anything in particular I should be worried about?” Ace asked, watching the floor numbers tick by.

“I don’t think so. Just prepare for bombardment?”

Ace looked at him warily, and Marco grabbed his hand to give a reassuring squeeze. Ace grinned, squeezing back as the doors opened.

Izo was waiting for them, arms crossed over a stack of folders. He took one look at them, specifically their hands, and grinned triumphantly.

“Finally!” He said, throwing one of his hands into the air and grabbing the attention of everyone else. Thirteen heads snapped to look in their direction, and Marco sighed.

“Alright, before you turn into a pack of rabid gossip-mongers,” he turned to look at Ace. “This is Ace. We’re dating. He runs a flower shop and has the most wonderful laugh I’ve ever heard. Also his freckles are adorable.”

Ace flushed a bright crimson, ducking his head and smiling. Marco, for good measure, tugged on their joined hands, lifting them to press a kiss to the back of Ace’s hand. The flush darkened.

Marco led him out of the elevator, making a beeline for his office. They made it about half way before there was a flurry of noise behind them, chairs moving and papers flying. The door to Whitebeard’s office opened, the man himself poking his head around it.

“Vista, where is—”

Whitebeard cut himself off, staring at Marco and Ace and what Marco was sure was a crowd behind them.

“Hey Pops. This is Ace.”

Whitebeard continued to stare for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed.

“So this is the one who’s managed to worm his way into your heart, eh?” Whitebeard stepped out from behind the door. “Well, he’s got to be something special then, hasn’t he?”

The flush had been starting to go away on Ace’s face, but it only took a second for it to be back in full force. Whitebeard laughed again and patted Ace on the shoulder, then turning to address the gathered crowd behind them.

“Don’t you all have work to be doing?”

A chorus of groans and denials met them, and Marco glanced behind him to watch them all deflate.

“Come on, Pops!”

“Can’t it wait?”

“We’ve got a rare opportunity here!”

“And I’m sure that there will be many more opportunities for you all to meet Ace in the future, when we’re not on a deadline and most of you,” Whitebeard swept a glare across the group, “are behind.”

Whitebeard turned his attention back to Ace as the group started to disperse. “It’s good to meet you. I’m Edward Newgate, but Whitebeard or Pops will do just fine.”

“Ah, right. I’m Ace, Ace Portgas.” Ace stuck out his hand, and Whitebeard took it in a crushing handshake. Ace seemed relatively unfazed, and Marco smiled.

“Well Ace,” Whitebeard swept one of his arms around the room, “welcome to The Whitebeard Company! Please, don’t let my children’s unruliness get to you, they all have the best intentions.”

“We just want to know who’s convincing Marco to actually take breaks!” Haruta shouted.

“And eat something that’s not coffee or microwaved!” Jozu added.

Ace gave Marco a curious look, and Marco sighed.

“They’re exaggerating.”

“No they’re not,” Whitebeard said, his smile fond.

Marco mumbled something under his breath and pulled Ace into his office, shutting the door to Whitebeard’s laughter. He debated on pulling the shades, but decided against it when he realized the implications.

“Well, was it as bad as you thought it was going to be?” he asked, sitting in his chair.

“No, I guess not,” Ace said, taking the chair on the other side of the desk. “But I think I got lucky. Am I keeping you from working on something important?”

Marco looked up from unwrapping his sandwich, shaking his head, “I’m already finished with my part. I’ve _been_ finished for two days now.”

“Oh, okay. That’s good.” Ace unwrapped his own sandwich, taking a bite.

“Hey, you don’t—I’d much rather spend time with you than stare at a computer screen and yell at people,” Marco said.

“Right, I just don’t want to get you behind or in trouble.”

Marco waved him off, “You heard them earlier, I work too much as it is. They’re more likely to laud you as a hero really.”

“If you say so.”

They ate in comfortable silence, Ace looking around the office and Marco looking at Ace. His office was fairly plain, save for a few pictures and the windowsill full of plants. Ace took particular interest in them, moving to get a better look at them.

“Where’s the jade plant?”

“The jade plant? Oh, yeah,” Marco laughed, “I actually gave it to Pops to keep in his office. He loves it.”

“Really?” Ace’s smiling was blinding.

“Mhm. He’s been talking about wanting to get some plants for the whole building, especially down in the lobby.” Marco smiled, “He’s as attached to your plants as I am.”

Ace’s smile grew, “That’s fantastic! Is he wanting flowering plants, or something that’s just leafy instead?”

“I’m not sure. You’d have to ask him. He might just let you have free reign, honestly.”

Ace nodded, and Marco could see his brain running a top speed. Ace forcibly shook his head after a minute, looking at Marco with a sheepish grin.

“Sorry, I get excited about plants.”

“I know. I like it.”

Ace rubbed the back of his neck, “Really? You don’t think it’s weird?”

“Of course not,” Marco said with a frown. “You’re passionate about it, and you’re good at it. It’s no different than,” Marco thought for a moment, then pointed at his coworkers through the window that looked into the office. “Thatch loves cooking, absolutely adores it. He’s getting ready to open his own restaurant in town later this year. Namur keeps fish, he’s got a sixty gallon tank at home and takes care of the big one in the lobby.”

“Look, I don’t who told you otherwise,” Marco reached across the desk and grasped one of Ace’s hands, “but what you do is pretty damn cool. You know way more about plants than anyone I’ve ever met, you know enough to open your own business, which is very difficult, and you love doing it. And that’s awesome.”

Ace laughed, looking down at the desk.

“Thanks Marco.”

Marco smiled, squeezing his hand and standing.

“Of course. Now come on, let’s go invade Pops’ office and talk to him about what kind of plants he wants.”

  
“So my brothers are coming to visit this weekend.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm. They want to meet you.”

Marco paused his typing, turning his attention fully to the phone. He had taken to calling Ace on the evenings he worked late to drown out some of the unbearable silence in the building. Ace had been more than happy to oblige the request, telling him listening to his voice was better than trying to fill his apartment with music.

“I’d love to meet them. When will they be here?”

He barely heard the sigh Ace let out, but heard it all the same.

“At about noon this Saturday, assuming nothing happens.”

“Do you expect something to happen?”

Ace laughed, “You’ll understand when you meet Luffy.”

“I look forward to it.”

Noon on Saturday found Marco waiting in The Golden Hibiscus, sitting on a stool and reading a book on flower arranging he had found on one of the shelves in the back room. Ace was going through his order book, triple checking that he’d have enough flowers for the upcoming Mother’s Day. Marco heard them before he saw them, looking up to watch a teen with black hair and a wide, almost too wide smile drag a blond about Ace’s age into the shop with him.

“Ace!” the teen shouted, letting go of the blond to dash forward and wrap Ace in a spine crushing hug.

“Luffy!” The name was said by two different voices; Ace’s, fond and excited, and the blond’s, fond and exasperated.

“It’s so good to see you! We’ve missed you so much!” Luffy said, detaching himself from Ace. “Everyone says hi as well! Zoro and Sanji and Nami and—”

“I think he knows who everyone means, Lu.” The blond swept Ace into a hug as he said it, then turned to Marco.

“Are you the one who’s been making my brother so happy?”

“I try,” Marco said.

The blond smiled and held out his hand.

“I’m Sabo. It’s good to finally meet you after all the gushing Ace has done!”

“Sabo!”

Marco chuckled, taking Sabo’s hand and shaking it. Luffy was staring at him as if he was a particularly difficult puzzle, and after a moment stepped forward and pulled Marco into the same hug he had pulled Ace into, knocking the breath out of him.

“Luffy! You can’t just hug people!”

“It’s okay,” Marco said, waving away Ace’s concern.

Luffy let him go with a laugh, turning to Ace, “Ace! Where’s that pizza place?”

Ace rolled his eyes and ruffled Luffy’s hair, “Already hungry, eh?”

“I’m always hungry!”

“He was so excited for amazing pizza he didn’t eat breakfast so he’d have more room,” Sabo said in the same fondly exasperated tone.

“Alright, I suppose we can head that way. Let me close everything up here.”

They decided to walk instead of driving, to better allow Ace and Marco to show them the city. Luffy nearly ran into people every few steps, so busy looking at everything, and eventually Ace grabbed him and threw an arm over his shoulders to guide where he went.

“Hey, Marco.”

Marco turned to look at Sabo, surprised by the soft tone, “Yeah?”

They slowed down, putting a bit of space between them and Ace and Luffy.

“Ace has been a lot happier since he met you,” Sabo said after a moment.

“I’m a lot happier with him around,” Marco answered. “He’s… he’s wonderful.”

Sabo smiled, “I’m glad you think so. Ace has a tendency to be pretty harsh on himself.”

“What happened?” Marco frowned.

“It wasn’t anything in particular,” Sabo said. “A lot of people just didn’t understand. Most people think of flowers and plants and they think its girly or it’s a waste of time. No one really understood how much time and effort Ace put into his plants, save for his family and a few close friends. After a while he just stopped trying to make people understand or appreciate it.”

Marco nodded slowly. He thought back to the way Ace smiled when he explained to customers how to care for their plants, the soft look he had when taking care of the plants in his shop, the way he’d close off when he thought he was talking too much.

“It’s their loss,” he eventually said, and Sabo chuckled.

“Hey, what are you two doing back there?”

Sabo rolled his eyes as they caught back up with the other two, “I’m just giving him the shovel talk Ace, don’t worry.”

“Sabo!”

Marco grinned, taking Ace’s hand and shrugging away the curious look Ace gave him. When the look stayed, he leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, watching his face light up.

“Hey, you almost match your hat Ace.”

Marco laughed, holding the door open to Bonney’s and herding the three of them inside before Ace could strangle Luffy on the sidewalk. Luffy immediately started gushing over the different options to Sabo, so neither of them noticed Ace leaning over to kiss Marco on the cheek as well.

“Now we’re even.”

Marco grinned, squeezing his hand as they joined Luffy and Sabo.

He hadn’t planned on falling in love with the owner of the flower shop he passed every day, but he was glad he had.


End file.
